Flattery Quotes

317 quotes by 211 authors

Flattery and deceit are the darlings of great men, and so with these men spread the butter on thick, if you want to get something… — Pietro Aretino
A desire to be observed, considered, esteemed, praised, beloved, and admired by his fellows is one of the earliest as well as the keenest dispositions… — John Adams
It is only imperfection that complains of what is imperfect. The more perfect we are the more gentle and quiet we become towards the defects… — Joseph Addison
Flattery is like cologne water, to be smelt, not swallowed. — Josh Billings
The best way to convince a fool that he is wrong is to let him have his own way. — Josh Billings
He who knows how to flatter also knows how to slander. — Napoleon Bonaparte
The flattery of posterity is not worth much more than contemporary flattery, which is worth nothing. — Jorge Luis Borges
Listening, not imitation, may be the sincerest form of flattery. — Joyce Brothers
We should keep silent about those in power; to speak well of them almost implies flattery; to speak ill of them while they are alive… — Jean de la Bruyere
Flattery corrupts both the receiver and the giver. — Edmund Burke
Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an… — Winston Churchill
Pay attention to your enemies, for they are the first to discover your mistakes. — Antisthenes
Between flattery and admiration there often flows a river of contempt. — Minna Antrim
Flattery is from the teeth out. Sincere appreciation is from the heart out. — Dale Carnegie
The ambitious are forever followed by adulation for they receive the most pleasure from flattery. — Oliver Goldsmith
Happy in all that ragged, loose collapse of water, the fountain, its effortless descent and flatteries of spray... — Richard Wilbur
We despise no source that can pay us a pleasing attention. — Mark Twain
Cats like men are flatterers. — Walter Savage Landor
Flattery is a base coin which is current only through our vanity. — Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Mountains of gold would not seduce some men, yet flattery would break them down. — Henry Ward Beecher

Who Wrote These Flattery Quotes

211 authors contributed a total of 317 Flattery Quotes, led by these top contributors: